whats really going on at terry fox

I just recently saw the final game at Terry Fox against Burnaby South, great game, terry fox your fans were hyped and crazy. Two top players guarding one another, both holding their own. What has me very upset is, two years in row there are comments made by terry fox either a coach or player. First your coach was suspended last year for comments he made directly towards a black ref and once again this year your best player, which I will not name, has used the "N" word towards an opposing player. What is really going on at terry fox, im disgusted. Why cant you just play ball

I wasn't at the game in question last year but did hear about it. I was at the game this year and did hear about what was said on the court - I assumed/hoped that the school would handle in an appropriate manner but perhaps they won't. Haven't heard anything about a suspension or anything else which is disappointing.

I also wonder how much supervision is going on at that school. I was at a school-day/day-time game where a Terry Fox student spectator was way out of line - calling individual players on the court "ugly" "bitch" "fag" "pussy". I'm all for team or school spirit but, first of all, Terry Fox wasn't even playing and, second of all, its one thing to cheer for or against a 'team' but individual assaults like that are, in my opinion, off-side. There was no teacher present that I could see to step in and put a stop to behaviour that reflects badly on the school nor was anyone there to protect that student - he was so volatile that an offended parent might have gotten into a physical altercation with him. There were certainly verbal altercations between this student and parents and there was nobody there to step in.

I have been at games between rivals where not only is there a visible staff presence from the hosting school but there is also a police presence to ensure that things don't get out of hand. Maybe Fox should take a page out of that book.

First off in regards to last year, who did you HEAR about it from? Did you hear about it from the biased parent who tweets stat lines of his own son on a daily basis, who I won't name as well? The coach for Terry Fox is a very well respected person not only at the school but in the basketball community as well. He coaches a very diverse team and would NEVER and I mean NEVER say such a thing, but hey rumours get all over the place don't they! In regards to this year, I too was at the game, sitting extremely close to the court as well and I heard every single thing going on between the two players, and no slurs were said. It seems these days, the accusations of people dropping racial slurs is far too apparent and common. This creates ugly threads like this one, which accuses not ONE, but TWO human beings of doing things that they did not do. With Twitter, and Instagram, heck even Facebook, word of mouth flies around, especially from parents who may be upset because their son or daughter just lost a game, and far too often accusations of events that did not happen seem to pop up out of nowhere. But before you all go on hooplife, which is a complete joke of a site because half of you morons can't even spell basketball yet alone dribble the damn thing, and hide behind a screen bashing kids and coaches and programs, maybe do a background check on the people you are trying to accuse. Terry Fox is top-notch program, with a bunch of top-notch people running it. They don't have parents all over social media sites, inflating their son's stats or bashing any other people. They care for their program and want nothing but the best for their kids. So cut the bullshit about racial slurs and all this garbage about the Terry Fox program and man up and go ask these individuals themselves on what had happened, instead of hiding behind your computer after getting home from your 9-5 job.

Secondly, I do agree with your second paragraph Perfectgame about how a particular student was going way overboard in regards to yapping at another player or players for that matter. That type of stuff should not be tolerated at a high school event and I completely agree.

Specific allegations of misconduct (e.g racial slurs) against a player or coach should be addressed through appropriate channels (i.e. school districts, bc high school sports, bc boys high school basketball) Not through forums such as this.

IMO Fox has excellent fan support overall but I would agree that a couple of students are damaging the school's reputation through overly aggressive comments and tactics. The school administration is accountable for monitoring this and I have seen them intervene in a couple of games (in one case things were getting out of hand with fans from another team and another they removed baseball bats that were brought to a game as noise makers)

Oldschoolball, can you elaborate on the coach suspension from last year? I recall no such thing. Please present evidence before slandering people. If there was evidence of racial hatred the governing body would not allow said person to coach. In regards to this year, is there a credible audience (ie. Ref) to substantiate? Otherwise, please do not slander the reputations of people.

Over the years I have attended and competed against many Fox teams they have always been intense but never racial. This is not to say that players have never crossed the line but certainly the staff at Fox have never that I have seen turned a blind eye to it. Class would describe the approach taken at Fox not anything else. I would expect this tradition to continue and the coaching staff to respond to youthful out of line expressions with the appropriate response to the players. The reality is that this applies to all teams and players not just your top rated teams.

I spend many hours in high schools gyms over the basketball season. It is no coincidence that most of those hours are spent at Terry Fox. From the coach of Grade 8 girls basketball to the athletics director, from football to track and field, the entire program is built with two things in mind; excellence and respect.

To this day, kids that went through Terry Fox years ago still acknowledge me, say hi and have a quick chat. As do the former coaches and minor officials and parents, that year after year return to help make the program as successful as it is. It is why I return there. Terry Fox "gets" it.

I was at both games being commented about. In the first, tempers were lost between a coach and an official and the situation got out of hand. The fact is though, that was a one off event. Like probably anyone reading this, I have seen that particular official ref dozens of games and I have seen Hanson coach dozens of games, all without incident. I'm sure if either had a do over, it would have played out differently but both have long moved on from that night.

In the second, the official, standing 20 feet in front of me as I was taking pictures, addressed the kids during a free throw, and said " I have had enough of the trash talking between you two, knock it off" and that was the end of it. It was not one kid, it was two kids, and it was dealt with on the floor.

A few of the fans cross the line yes. And I too have seen them dealt with, with either an official on the floor, or an administrator. Going to a Terry Fox game however, especially a tournament game, is exactly the same as going to a Vancouver College/St Georges, Pitt Meadows/Walnut Grove/Terry Fox or even a couple years back, a Tamanawis/WRCA game.

The fact is, Terry Fox can pack it's gym with students and alumni - something that is evidence of a program that is doing things the right way - and when a gym is packed, the students, with a lot more anonymity, become a lot more raucous in their support and young guys, trying to impress their friends will cross the line. It happens in every packed gym and in every walk of life.

These incidents are not evidence of a systematic problem at Terry Fox and to suggest it is, is wrong as Terry Fox is actually the epitome of a well run basketball program.

Last edited by ronh_pm on Sat Jan 17, 2015 7:51 pm; edited 1 time in total

I spend many hours in high schools gyms over the basketball season. It is no coincidence that most of those hours are spent at Terry Fox. From the coach of Grade 8 girls basketball to the athletics director, from football to track and field, the entire program is built with two things in mind; excellence and respect.

To this day, kids that went through Terry Fox years ago still acknowledge me, say hi and have a quick chat. As do the former coaches and minor officials and parents, that year after year return to help make the program as successful as it is. It is why I return there. Terry Fox "gets" it.

I was at both games being commented about. In the first, tempers were lost between a coach and an official and the situation got out of hand. The fact is though, that was a one off event. Like probably anyone reading this, I have seen that particular official ref dozens of games and I have seen Hanson coach dozens of games, all without incident. I'm sure if either had a do over, it would have played out differently but both have long moved on from that night.

In the second, the official, standing 20 feet in front of me as I was taking pictures, addressed the kids during a free through, and said " I have had enough of the trash talking between you two, knock it off" and that was the end of it. It was not one kid, it was two kids, and it was dealt with on the floor.

A few of the fans cross the line yes. And I too have seen them dealt with, with either an official on the floor, or an administrator. Going to a Terry Fox game however, especially a tournament game, is exactly the same as going to a Vancouver College/St Georges, Pitt Meadows/Walnut Grove/Terry Fox or even a couple years back, a Tamanawis/WRCA game.

The fact is, Terry Fox can pack it's gym with students and alumni - something that is evidence of a program that is doing things the right way - and when a gym is packed, the students, with a lot more anonymity, become a lot more raucous in their support and young guys, trying to impress their friends will cross the line. It happens in every packed gym and in every walk of life.

These incidents are not evidence of a systematic problem at Terry Fox and to suggest it is, is wrong as Terry Fox is actually the epitome of a well run basketball program.

Thanks Ron! Saying it as it is!

Let's be adults and help kids from all programs make the most out of their high school basketball careers turn into positive moments in their lives rather than trying to turn this into a childish set of bad examples that they read. Enjoy their game and keep it positive! Terry Fox is a great program and we are glad to be a part of it!

Specific allegations of misconduct (e.g racial slurs) against a player or coach should be addressed through appropriate channels (i.e. school districts, bc high school sports, bc boys high school basketball) Not through forums such as this.

IMO Fox has excellent fan support overall but I would agree that a couple of students are damaging the school's reputation through overly aggressive comments and tactics. The school administration is accountable for monitoring this and I have seen them intervene in a couple of games (in one case things were getting out of hand with fans from another team and another they removed baseball bats that were brought to a game as noise makers)

Thank you PressThis. I will recommend to the parents involved in this incident that they escalate their complaint to the additional channels you recommend as it appears clear that the school will not be taking any action.